Summer Institute

Improved student performance is as much about strong and effective leadership as it is about personal initiative. The Public Education Leadership Program incorporates a unique framework that focuses you and your team on specific district challenges or educational issues that you identify before coming to the program. Guided by Harvard Business School (HBS) and Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) faculty, you will develop new strategies and insights to confront your district’s toughest obstacles and take advantage of available opportunities. The HBS and HGSE faculty, as recognized thought leaders on crucial management issues, maintain dynamic relationships with the highest-performing urban school systems, nonprofit organizations, and top companies around the world. In addition, you will find yourself immersed in learning with a diverse and collaborative group of public education leaders whose insights and perspectives will contribute to your learning both during the program and well beyond. You will have access to a valuable professional network of PELP participants. Additionally, you will return to your school with the tools, skills, and confidence to refine your management model, develop new strategies, and improve the performance of your school system.

Curriculum: The curriculum is based on the highly acclaimed model developed by the Public Education Leadership Project. Along with interactive lectures, collaborative group work, and relevant case studies, you will address the specific issues confronting your school district. Topics include:• Creating and achieving a coherent organization that supports your strategy, even when schools have different characteristics• Attracting and retaining the best people, while simultaneously aligning the recruiting process with the district strategy• Managing for high performance by building strategies for effective, long-term administrative accomplishments• Creating a culture that values results more than efforts• Analyzing and using data to guide decisions, improve performance, and create accountability

Participant Mix: This program is designed for teams of eight participants, including district office personnel, school principals, and regional supervisors, who are responsible for school systems with at least 30,000 enrolled students. PELP allows districts to build capacity by sending new teams over the course of several years. To ensure continuity, returning teams must include one member who has already attended PELP. With the exception of the superintendent, who is always welcome, teams may include no more than one returning member. Typical titles include:• Superintendent• Other Central Office Administrators• Principals• Union President• Teacher Leaders• Community Liaison• School Board Member

Apply! Send an email to pelp@gse.harvard.edu expressing your district’s interest in attending the next PELP summer institute. For additional information, check the HBS Executive Education program website at http://www.exed.hbs.edu/programs/pelp. For specific PELP program questions, call Matt Tallon at 617.496.1819.

Participated Districts

Over the course of the initiative, PELP has partnered with 34 urban school districts, representing more than 3.8 million students. Each school district, at different times, worked closely with the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and the Harvard Business School (HBS) to test and refine new management theories and practices aimed at improving teaching, learning, and student outcomes. The participating school districts involved at varying capacities and at different intervals, include: